UN Chief meets Nepal politicos, ministers; visits UNESCO World Heritage Site in Lalitpur
United Nations Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, met Nepali politicians and ministers on the first day of his visit on Sunday. The first day eventually ended with a heritage walk along Patan Durbar Square, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Lalitpur.
“I see that it is important for Nepali people to understand that a country that has this tradition, this culture, and these monuments is a country that is spiritual. Based on these rules, which are wonderful culture and well-known architecture, I am seeing Nepal–the peace process being completed and graduation to not be the least developed country–have a future for the upcoming generation,” said the Secretary-General after touring the ancient palace built before the unification of modern Nepal.
Though devastated by the earthquake of April 2015, Patan Dubar Square has stood back quickly in comparison to other heritage sites in Nepal. The visiting Secretary General congratulated the authorities for being able to restore the temples and monuments as he stood next to the Mayor of Lalitpur, Chiribabu Maharjan.
“I want to congratulate you on the way you restored this complex after the earthquake. This restoration is a masterpiece in itself. Temples are masterpieces; the efforts that have been made to stand up are another masterpiece,” applauded Guterres.
The Secretary-General arrived in Kathmandu in the early hours of Sunday at the invitation of Nepali Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal. After hours of rest, the UNSG (United Nations Secretary-General) called on Nepali Foreign Minister Narayan Prakash Saud and Defence Minister Purna Bahadur Khadka at their offices.
The Secretary-General then called on Nepali Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, aka Prachanda, at his office to hold a joint Press conference where he condemned the attacks on Gaza by Israel and hostage situation by Hamas. He called on all the parties to end the ongoing escalation, which, as per him, has invited a humanitarian catastrophe.
Soon after the media briefing, Guterres held a separate meeting with former Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, who is also the President of the Nepali Congress and the chairman of the main opposition CPN-Unified Marxist Leninists, KP Sharma Oli.
Later in the evening, the visiting chief of the United Nations called on Nepali President